Dragon
Dragons were sentient creatures that roamed freely in the land of Alagaësia. They were the mounts and life-long companions of the Dragon Riders. Apart from werecats, spirits, Nïdhwal and Lethrblaka, dragons were the only known intelligent non-humanoid species. There were only four known dragons left in Alagaësia during the Rider War: Shruikan, Saphira, Thorn, and Glaedr. He was the only other dragon known to be alive at the start of the Rider War, then he was killed by Murtagh and Thorn and then resided in his Eldunarí which was in Eragon's possession. Description The dragons of Alagaësia were reptilian, with scales, sharp teeth, bat-like membraned wings. and a tongue that covered with hooked barbs.They could develop the ability to breathe fire as they matured. Their color varied from dragon to dragon, and there appeared to be some variation in features between different colored dragons, but all dragon colors were the same species. For example, Saphira, a blue dragon, possesses four cheek spikes, slightly curved horns, and two forehead spines while Thorn, a red dragon, had wide, crescent-shaped horns, and two cheek spikes. Glaedr, who was gold, had six cheek spines, crooked horns, and a beard. According to Brom, dragons could grow to be "larger than most houses" and that some older dragons could be confused with large hills. They were connected to the land in strange ways, that sometimes even they could not control. This is shown when Saphira touched the Zar'roc with her muzzle, and when she turned Brom's sandstone grave to diamond. Their eggs tended to be the same color as the dragon's scales, as did the color of their Rider's magic. Their scales were very strong, capable of deflecting arrows, even on the underbelly. The wings were the weakest part on their body, composed of only a thin membrane of flesh. Females tend to be more aggressive, vainful and stronger than males, as Saphira often calls herself the "most beautiful creature in all of Alagaësia", as well as attacking Glaedr when he opposes to mate with Saphira. Glaedr himself said that in the wild, the "females were so formidable". All dragons had matching color for their eyes and hide and possessed long, barbed tongues. All dragons ate meat, especially deer and other ungulates. Life cycle Dragons hatched from eggs. When first hatched, they were the size of an average house cat, but grew rapidly. When dragons reached about six months old, they gained the ability to breathe fire. Predators by nature, they hunted large animals, with an occasional fish or fowl and some plants, such as Fireweed, which eased bad breath and indigestion. Dragons started to mate when they were young. They were unfading and did not die, unless by wounds in battle or by sickness. If they had a Rider, they could live on after their Rider's death (ex: Glaedr, Oromis's dragon, lived on after Oromis died). It was believed that there was no limit to a dragon's size, as they grew continuously. Brom said that the most ancient dragons could be confused for hills or small mountains because of their size. When the Unbound Dragons delivered one of their eggs to the Riders, certain words were said over it. These ensured that the dragon would only hatch for the one destined to be its Rider. When a dragon's Rider was ever killed, they would go on rampage to avenge their death. Afterwards, they often died from grief. If they so chose to, they could retain their conscious mind in their Eldunarí, or their jeweled "heart of hearts". This allowed anyone with the Eldunarí - if the dragon gave it up to someone - to speak to the dragon and draw energy from them. The dragons could give up their Eldunarí and still live on until the dragon died. It was revealed by the elf Oromis that Galbatorix, during his rebellion, acquired all the Eldunarí from the dragons he killed, which was the source of his amplified power. It assumed he may have given some of them to Murtagh, which explained his increased power and Thorn's speedy growth. History Early years Along with the dwarves and the Grey Folk, dragons were one of the three races native to Alagäesia. The dwarves and the dragons constantly had skirmishes, and neither ever found any liking for the other race. Additionally, there were never any dwarf Dragon Riders because the dwarves were not included in the Blood Oath. Du Fyrn Skulblaka After a dragon was killed by a rash elf, the long and bitter Fyrn Skulblaka started between the two races. Each side did things they would regret; at one point, elves ambushed dragon mothers in a forested nesting-place (Stone of Broken Eggs), killing them and breaking their eggs. Eventually, however, an elf named Eragon I (namesake of the current Eragon) discovered an abandoned dragon egg and raised the dragon as his own. Together, the pair acted as mediators for the dragons and Elves, and were able to eventually resolve the conflict. Afterward, they established a pact and created the order of the Dragon Riders. The dragons and their Riders were tasked with maintaining the peace in Alagäesia. Humans were later added to the blood oath when they arrived. The Dragon Rider Era The dragons agreed to give some of their eggs to the Riders so that the order could continue. With the protection and assistance of the Riders, the dragons experienced an age of peace. Though they still had contentions with the dwarves, a full-scale war never again erupted between races. The Fall During and after Galbatorix's rebellion, most of the dragons, along with their Riders, were killed. The Forsworn began a mass genocide of the dragons, leaving the dragons on the brink of extinction. Galbatorix's dragon was thought to be the only surviving dragon. However, Galbatorix still owned three dragon eggs, and there was another surviving dragon, Glaedr, living in Du Weldenvarden. By Eragon's time, there were only five known dragons (but Glaedr died in Brisingr) in existence: * Saphira: Eragon's dragon, a blue female * Shruikan: Galbatorix's dragon, a black male * Thorn: Murtagh's dragon, a red male * Fírnen: Arya's dragon, a green male * Glaedr: Oromis's dragon, a gold male (died during the elven invasion of Gil'ead, later resided in his Eldunarí) New hope When Eragon discovered the blue dragon egg in the Spine and eventually became Saphira's Rider, some hope was restored for the dragons. Galbatorix also wanted to reestablish the dragon race and the Riders to serve him. Saphira was the last known female dragon in existence. As revealed by Murtagh, it was Galbatorix's desire to reestablish the order of Dragon Riders. Therefore, it was likely that Saphira would have become the "mother" of their race. However, in the Vault of Souls, Eragon found that Vrael, Oromis, and a few other elders had realized that Galbatorix was too powerful, and decided to hide away 136 Eldunarí and 243 dragon eggs, 26 of which were saved for the new generation of Dragon Riders, and then the Eldunarí cast a spell like that of the Banishing of Names, that erased the memory of the Rock of Kuthian from everone's minds, including that of the Riders, and the mothers of the dragon eggs. This spell would also prevent anyone who entered and left the vault to remember the dragon eggs in the vault until the demise of Galbatorix. Eragon took these eggs with him at the end of Inheritance. Naming In response to a fan question, Christopher Paolini stated that dragons would normally choose their own names once they were old enough to understand the concept.randombuzzers.com, "Christopher Paolini's November 2010 Q&A", retrieved on April 17, 2011 Additionally, it wasn't unheard of for a dragon to change his or her name over the centuries. In a perversion of the normal custom, Galbatorix gave Shruikan his name. In the first book, when Eragon asked Brom about dragons and the Dragon Riders, he asked him about the names of the former dragons before the fall of the order. Amongst them was Saphira, the name of Brom's former dragon. Later, Eragon shares the list of names with her, and she chooses Saphira. Also, when Murtagh explains why his dragon is named Thorn, it is unclear whether Thorn chose his name or Murtagh. Christopher Paolini has stated in an interview that Thorn did indeed choose his own name.randombuzzers.com, "Christopher Paolini's December 2011 Q&A", retrieved on December 31, 2011 Dragons mentioned within the series * Belgabad, wild, the largest dragon at the time of the fall * Bid'Daum, dragon of Eragon I * Cuaroc, Purple male * Ënurfala, mythological, mentioned only in a deleted scene * Eridor * Fundor, the dragon that fought a Sea Serpent * Glaedr, Oromis's dragon * Fírnen, Arya's dragon, a green male * Formora's dragon * Iormúngr, Saphira II's sire (father) * Jura * Jarnunvösk, Galbatorix's first dragon * Kialandi's dragon * Lenora * Mimring * Miremel * Morzan's dragon * Opheila * Saphira I, Brom's dragon * Saphira II, Eragon's dragon * Shruikan, Galbatorix's dragon * Spectral Dragon * Thorn, Murtagh's dragon * Umaroth, Vrael's dragon * Unnamed White Dragon * Valdr * Vanilor, king of the Dragons * Vervada, Saphira II's dam (mother) Interview However, in an October 2011 interview conducted by Shurtugal.com, Christopher Paolini stated, when asked whether any wild dragons survived: Mike (Shurtugal): Brom says of Vrael in Eragon, “Ancient and wise, Vrael struggled to save what he could and keep the remaining dragons from falling to his enemies.” Is this insinuating that Vrael managed to save some wild dragons, or are we reading too far into this? Christopher Paolini: Vrael was trying to save some wild dragons, but he didn’t succeed. Mike (Shurtugal): This may be a path you’re unwilling to head down, but I’ll ask anyway. We debated this on the last podcast… dragons can fly incredible distances, so it wouldn’t be much of a stretch to assume there are some beyond what we see of Alagaësia — or would it? Christopher Paolini: It would. Dragons have certainly lived pretty much everywhere in the world where Alagaësia exists. However, if any still lived, Galbatorix would have tracked them down and killed or enslaved them. Remember, Galbatorix has the strength of all of the Eldunarí at his disposal. He has enough energy to reach out to any distance with his mind. It would be extremely difficult for wild dragons (who can only rarely use magic) to hide from him. The only reason that Glaedr escaped was because he was under the protection of the elves. Galleries Images from the Inheritance books Saphira.jpg|Saphira as seen on the cover of Eragon Thorn.jpg|Thorn as seen on the cover of Eldest Glaedr.jpg|Glaedr as seen on the cover of Brisingr Brisingr Germany (detail view).png|Glaedr as seen on the the cover of the german edition of Brisingr Fírnen.jpg|Fírnen as seen on the cover of Inheritance Eye.jpg|Shruikan's eye Swedish-eragon.jpg|Saphira as seen on the Swedish cover of Eragon Swedish-eldest.jpg|Thorn as seen on the Swedish cover of Eldest Brisingr_Sweden_(detail_view).jpg|Glaedr as seen on the Swedish cover of Brisingr Inheritance Sweden (Arvtagaren).jpg|Fírnen as seen on the Swedish cover of Inheritance Glaedr-saphira.jpg|Glaedr and Saphira in Eragon's Guide to Alagaësia Inheritance Japan E11V01 Eragon.jpg|Japanese edition of Eragon, vol. 1, 11-vol. edition Inheritance Japan E11V02 Eragon.jpg|Japanese edition of Eragon, vol. 2, 11-vol. edition Inheritance Japan E11V03 Eragon.jpg|Japanese edition of Eragon, vol. 3, 11-vol. edition Inheritance Japan E11V04 Eldest.jpg|Japanese edition of Eldest, vol. 4, 11-vol. edition Inheritance Japan E11V05 Eldest.jpg|Japanese edition of Eldest, vol. 5, 11-vol. edition Inheritance Japan E11V06 Eldest.jpg|Japanese edition of Eldest, vol. 6, 11-vol. edition Inheritance Japan E11V07 Eldest.jpg|Japanese edition of Eldest, vol. 7, 11-vol. edition Inheritance Japan E11V08 Brisingr.jpg|Japanese edition of Brisingr, vol. 8, 11-vol. edition Inheritance Japan E11V09 Brisingr.jpg|Japanese edition of Brisingr, vol. 9, 11-vol. edition Inheritance Japan E11V10 Brisingr.jpg|Japanese edition of Brisingr, vol. 10, 11-vol. edition Inheritance Japan E11V11 Brisingr.jpg|Japanese edition of Brisingr, vol. 11, 11-vol. edition Images from the Eragon film Saphira film poster.jpg|Saphira 100 2253.JPG|Shruikan References de:Drachen es:Dragón fi:Lohikäärme pl:Smok ru:Драконы Category:Species Dragon